Mumbai in damage control as chlorine gas leak wreaks havoc

Matt Wade

THE treatment and storage of hazardous materials in India face renewed scrutiny after a chlorine gas leak in the heart of Mumbai hospitalised more than 90 people yesterday. At least eight were reported to be in a critical condition after inhaling the gas.

The leak happened at a warehouse in the Sewri industrial area of Mumbai owned by the Mumbai Port Trust.

''One of three cylinders stored in a courtyard at a warehouse owned by the trust leaked,'' the Mumbai Fire Brigade's chief fire officer, Uday Tatkare said.

''The leakage has been brought under control and we are in damage control mode.''

Four firefighters who helped at the scene were among those hospitalised but were in a stable condition, he said.

Most of the sick were treated in hospital for respiratory complaints, burning eyes and nausea.

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About 500 people were evacuated from the area, including students at a nearby school.

There will be an official probe into the cause of the gas leak. Safety procedures have already been called into question after recent high-profile accidents.

In April, one man died and seven were hospitalised after being exposed to radioactive waste at a scrapyard in Delhi. The source of the radiation was a gamma irradiator discarded from a chemistry laboratory at the University of Delhi.

The world's worst industrial accident took place in Bhopal in 1984 when poisonous gas leaked from a Union Carbide factory.

About 3500 people died within days of the leak and 15,000 more are estimated to have died as a result of the accident in later years.